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Thursday, March 18, 2010

Hubble 3D

I am going to see the IMAX movie Hubble 3D this weekend. This should be pretty fascinating, both from a technology standpoint and an artistic perspective. I'm kind of a space geek any way, and add IMAX 3D to the mix and this looks to be a visual extravaganza.

“Hubble 3D,” which records a trip made in 2009 by the space shuttle Atlantis to repair and modify the telescope, is dazzling to look at of course. But such ponderous, cliché-heavy narration. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers it, which might lead you to expect something moderately hip; instead it’s that same old leaden drone, which back when space flight was new perhaps conveyed suitable awe but these days just makes you feel as if you’re in a junior-high civics class.

The Imax format, thankfully, makes it easy to block out all those “billions” — number of stars, number of light years — that Mr. DiCaprio is dutifully intoning and instead turn things over to your eyes, just letting them feast. An interesting fly-through effect gives the illusion of traveling across the universe, going deeper and deeper into space just as Hubble’s gaze has done. And the concluding image of a giant web of light, a sort of compilation of all that Hubble’s eye registers, is something to see.

I will bring ear plugs ;-)
So if DiCaprio starts to get on my nerves, I can just enjoy the feast for my eyes...